Prior to joining Apple, Holman worked for Lucasfilm, where he led development of THX — a sound system for movie theaters.

The bad news about all this is that reporting on the capabilities of Apple gadgets before they launch is often way off. It's getting better when it comes to iterative improvements on products with existing supply chains, like the iPhone and iPad. But for gadgets in new categories it remains iffy.

For example, we've been hearing about a new Apple TV for years now. People had all kinds of whacky ideas about what the iPad would look like before it came. Same for the iPhone.

Still, the evidence is piling up that Apple thinks it can make the iWatch something people want by making it something of a body-monitoring health-improving wearable computer. Most notably, it's been consulting with the FDA, and hiring impressive medical device talent.